Afghanistan War Weekly, May 9, 2011

Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, the US commander in charge of eastern Afghanistan, said that although al-Qaeda was hurt by bin Laden’s death, levels of fighting have not decreased, and an increase in violence is predicted.

“Osama bin Laden mission agreed in secret 10 years ago by US and Pakistan”

George W. Bush and Pervez Musharraf secretly struck a deal almost 10 years ago which permitted a unilateral US raid in Pakistan to kill bin Laden, similar to the one that was carried out last week. Although the possibility of Pakistani protest against such an operation was predicted, it was understood that Pakistan would not stop the US from carrying it out. However, a few days ago, Musharraf came out in opposition of the raid.

6 police officers and 5 civilians were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan. The police were killed in an ambush by insurgents in Ghazni province after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. The civilians, including 3 children, were killed in a suicide strike, in Eastern Laghman province whose intended targets were said to be US soldiers exiting a government building.

The movements of US Embassy staff were restricted in southern Afghanistan because of threats of attacks in Helmand province. The Taliban had announced that the month of May would mark the start of a “spring offensive.”

The prime minister of Pakistan denied that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies helped hide bin Laden. Although he affirmed that the US and Pakistan maintain a strong relationship, he warned that any future unilateral action against Pakistan would be met with “full force.”

8 lawmakers from both parties wrote a letter to President Obama demanding a timeline for a speedy withdrawal from Afghanistan. The latest lawmakers demanding a withdrawal timeline are Democrats Peter Welch (VT), John Garamendi (CA), Rush Holt (NJ), and John Tierney (MA), and Republicans Jason Chaffetz (UT), Walter Jones (NC), John Campbell (CA), and John Duncan (TN).

An NBC poll found that 52% of those polled strongly believe that photos of bin Laden’s body should not be released, and 12% agree less strongly. Only 24% of respondents strongly believed that the photos should be released, with 5% agreeing less strongly.